Congratulations on asking this question! Many people wait too long before asking it. In most cases, hearing loss develops so subtly that people don’t become aware of it until it interferes with their quality of life. Dramatic, sudden hearing loss isn’t the norm, so here are some warning signs to watch, or listen, for:
- Problems trying to hear from a distance
- Difficulty understanding people in noisy environments
- Other people remarking on how loudly you speak
- People sounding as if they are mumbling
- Getting complaints about the volume of your TV or radio
- The voices of women and children are hard to understand
- You often need to ask people to repeat themselves
- Common household sounds (e.g., alarm clock, dripping water) are difficult to hear
- Ringing in your ears
Absolutely. The measurement unit for sound is the “decibel”—a unit of pressure that a soundwave puts on the organs of the middle and inner ear. Excess pressure can overtax those organs, much in the way too much pressure in a combustion engine can damage a car. People who spend a lot of time around loud noises, due to their jobs or pastimes, can be especially at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Anyone who is regularly exposed to sound levels above 85 decibels is encouraged to wear hearing protection. By the way, it doesn’t take much to break that 85-decibel threshold. Just walking behind a lawn mower for extended periods of time can cause some level of hearing loss.
There is. Immune system changes, fatigue from struggling to listen, depression, memory problems and an increased risk of dementia are just some of the health issues that have been associated with hearing loss. On a more general level, those with hearing loss tend to deal with more bouts of illness and take more sick days than people with normal hearing. And, of course, not being able to hear things like alarms and traffic signals are health threats in their own right.
Actually, most people diagnosed with hearing loss don’t do anything about it, which is a big mistake. Aside from the risks it poses to your general health (see previous question), hearing loss can have devastating effects on relationships, performance on the job and your overall quality of life.
Not only do hearing aids help you hear better, they’re proven to make life better for the people who wear them. People who have avoided social situations, due to frustration or embarrassment caused by hearing loss, find themselves enjoying the company of others more and improving their personal relationships. Hearing aids also provide confidence that someone can get through a day without worrying about missing an important piece of information. And since hearing loss has been connected to other physical problems, hearing aids can play a role in better overall health.
If you need one, of course. But if you suspect hearing loss, the first thing you should do is have your hearing tested by certified professionals at a clinic like ours. If hearing loss is detected, your hearing healthcare professionals can tell you if a hearing aid is your best option for the degree of hearing loss you have.
This question goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. A certified hearing health professional who had tested your hearing thoroughly can help you select a hearing aid from quite a range of options. In addition to your degree of hearing loss, other factors, such as the shape of your ear will be considered in recommending a hearing aid.
If you take proper care of hearing aids—storing them properly, keeping them dry, having them cleaned and adjusted regularly, etc.—you can expect hearing aids to last three to five years.
Making the decision to even discuss the possibility of hearing loss can be very difficult; that’s why we offer online webinars for people who aren’t ready to visit the clinic right away, or simply don’t have the time. A webinar is an interactive, online seminar, during which you’ll be given a great deal of information, as well as the opportunity to ask any questions that are on your mind, all from the comfort of your home.
